Article · Compliance

Cyprus tax number: what the TIC is and how to apply

Two deadlines start on the day of incorporation, and neither is on anyone's mind, because at that point no business is running yet.

By Alexander Volkhine27 October 20263 min read

60 daysvia Tax For Allprecondition for VAT

Ivett M / Pexels

What is the TIC?

The TIC, Tax Identification Code, is a Cyprus company's tax number with the tax department. It is something different from the registration number the registrar issues at incorporation, and also different from the VAT identification number. Without a TIC nothing tax-related works, including VAT registration.

In short

A Cyprus company must register with the tax department within 60 days of its incorporation and receives its Tax Identification Code, or TIC, in the process. The deadline runs from the day of incorporation and not from the first invoice or the first sale. Since 1 July 2026, companies with registration numbers of type HE, AE or S apply through the Tax For All portal using a CY Login; the earlier route through other channels no longer applies. The TIC is a precondition for VAT registration: without it no VAT identification number can be applied for. Alongside this deadline a second one runs from the same day, namely the filing in the register of beneficial owners; the sources mostly quote 90 days for that. We found no source quantifying a penalty for late TIC registration; the presentations speak generally of possible sanctions.

60 daysDeadline from incorporation for the tax number
01.07.2026Since then the application goes through Tax For All
90 daysDeadline for the UBO register, per most sources
HE, AE, SRegistration numbers for which the TFA route applies
0Quantified penalties we could find
preconditionFor VAT registration

Accounting that knows these deadlinesVolk Accountant keeps invoices, receipts and VAT for Cyprus companies in one place.

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Three numbers that are not the same thing

At the beginning they get confused regularly, and they arise at different times with different authorities.

Number	From whom	When
Registration number (HE…)	registrar of companies	at incorporation
TIC, tax number	tax department	within 60 days after
VAT identification number	tax department	at VAT registration

The order is mandatory: no TIC, no VAT number.

The deadline hangs on incorporation, not on trading

This is the point founders get caught on.

The 60 days run from the day of incorporation. Not from the first invoice, not from the first customer, not from the day the bank account is open.

Since July 2026 the application goes through Tax For All

Since 1 July 2026, companies with registration numbers of type HE, AE or S apply through the Tax For All portal, using a CY Login.

This is one of those changes where older instructions mislead. Anyone following a description from 2024 or 2025 is looking in the wrong place. Which portal is responsible for what is in the guide to Tax For All.

The second deadline from the same day

In parallel runs the first filing in the register of beneficial owners.

Several law firm pages quote 90 days after incorporation for this, one quotes 30 days. The deadline does not appear in the registrar’s official announcement, which is why we do not present it as settled.

What is settled is the fine: €100 on the first day, €50 for each further one, capped at €5,000 per company. Details in the guide to the UBO register.

What we could not substantiate

The penalty for late TIC registration. None of the sources we checked names an amount or a formula, only possible sanctions in general terms. We do not invent a figure here.
The deadline for the first UBO filing. 90 days in most sources, 30 days in one, nothing in the official announcement.
Whether the 60 days also apply on other triggers. One source names, besides incorporation, registration under Cyprus law and the onset of tax residency as triggers. We did not examine the distinction.

Anyone who has just incorporated should not work through this from an article but with somebody who answers for the deadlines: Cyprus setup from one place.

After the TIC: what comes along on an ongoing basis

With the TIC and, where applicable, a VAT number, the part that never stops begins: books, returns, filings. When the VAT duty arises is in the guide to VAT registration, all the dates side by side in the overview of tax deadlines.

In Volk Accountant the numbers sit with the companies and are pulled into every invoice and every filing, instead of sitting in a note.

On this page

FAQ

The tax number in Cyprus: common questions.

When do I have to apply for the tax number?

Within 60 days of the company's incorporation. The deadline hangs on incorporation, not on trading. A company that does nothing for six months has still missed the deadline if it has not registered.

Where do I apply?

Since 1 July 2026 through the Tax For All portal, with a CY Login. That applies to companies with registration numbers of type HE, AE or S. Older instructions describe other routes; they are out of date.

Is that the same as the VAT number?

No. The TIC is the general tax number with the tax department. The VAT identification number is a separate number that only comes into being with VAT registration. The TIC is the precondition for it: no TIC, no VAT number.

Do I need a VAT number as soon as I have the TIC?

No, these are two steps. VAT registration hangs on its own thresholds: €15,600 of taxable turnover over twelve rolling months, and for services to businesses in other EU states no threshold at all, where it applies from the first euro.

What does late registration cost?

We could not quantify it. The sources speak generally of sanctions being possible but name no amount and no formula. Anyone reading a figure here should ask where it comes from.

Which other deadline runs from the day of incorporation?

The filing in the register of beneficial owners. Several sources quote 90 days after incorporation, one quotes 30 days. We did not find the deadline in the registrar's official announcement. The fine there is quantified: €100 on the first day, €50 for each further one, capped at €5,000.

Who does this in practice?

Usually the lawyer or trustee who handled the formation, often as part of the package. That is convenient and has a catch: anyone who assumes it is done does not check. The deadline runs against the company, not against the provider.

Cyprus accounting software compared

We put Volk Accountant openly next to other providers, with a source and a date checked behind every detail.

Volk Accountant vs CybooksRead the comparison Volk Accountant vs SumlyRead the comparison Volk Accountant vs BalabookRead the comparison

How the software handles this

The article explains the rule. These pages show what Volk Accountant does about it automatically.

Multiple companiesRunning two companies means running two number ranges, two sets of templates and two VAT periods. The one thing you do not need twice is a login.Cyprus VAT and VIESBoth filings come out of the entries you already have. No second spreadsheet, no retyping at quarter end.Accountant portalYour accountant gets their own login, not a shared password. And it costs nothing extra, because charging for it would be charging you to work with your own advisor.

Keep reading

Articles on the same subject, with sources and a review date like this one.

ComplianceDormant companyMothballing a Cyprus company and leaving it to lie is the most expensive way to get rid of it. The obligations run on until it is struck off.ComplianceTax For AllCyprus runs two tax portals side by side, and which one is responsible depends not on the date but on the type of return.ComplianceHE32 annual returnThe HE32 is the filing nobody notices until the registrar wants to strike the company off. Two widely quoted figures about it are wrong.

Sources

Content reviewed on 16 October 2026. Not tax advice: this page explains the general rules. Your accountant decides what applies to your case.

The deadlines of the first months

At the start several deadlines run at once, and none of them hangs on a sale. Volk Accountant keeps the Cyprus dates in one place. From €29 a month.

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